Spring-hinge



UNITEDV STATES PATENT OFFICE. i

PATRICK K. OLALLY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

i. SPRING-HlNGE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 257,373, dated May 2,1882.

Appnention inea May 19, isis.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, PATRICK K. OLALLY,

of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, haveinvented certain Improvements in Hinges, of which the following is aspecilication.

This invention relates to hinges which are adapted to swing in bothdirections, and has for its object to combine a spring'b or springs witha hinge of this class adapted to automatically close the door or otherswinging object or body to which the hinge is applied, and to be putunder increased tension by the opening of the door without being twistedor bent laterally.

To this end the invention consists in the improvetnents which I will nowproceed to describe and claim.

Of the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification,Figure l represents a vertical section of a portion of a door and jambconnected by Aa hinge embodying one form of my invention. Fig. 2represents a section on lineaV z, Fig. l. Fig. 3 represents a section online z' z', Fig. 2. Fig. et represents amodicatiou of the arrangement ofthe rollers shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 represents a section online w w,Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, AB represent respectively a jamb and door or otheranalogous fixed and movable parts connected byone or more hinges. Thechief pecnliarity of my improved hinge is that it is connected to one orboth of the parts A B by a spring or springs, S, whereby the hinge isdrawn with a yielding pressure toward the part or parts with which it isthus connected. In Figs. l and 2 the hinge is connected by springs bothwith the jamb and door,

and the hinge is composed of two metallic casings or mortises, D D',adapted to be attached to the door and jamb-plates E E', adapted toslide longitudinally inthe mortises D, and a link, F, connected to theouter ends of the plates E E' by pintles or pivots Gr G, passing throughsockets in the ends of the plates and links, as shown in Fig. 1. Theconnection of the link to the plates E E' is such that the link canswing laterally in both directions on -the plate E, and the plate E' canswing in like manner on the link. The springs S S' are arranged to holdthe plates E E in the mortises D D' with a yielding. pressure. Thespring S S' are preferably located in slots b b in the plates E E', andtheir outer ends bear against abutments H H, rigidly attached to themortises and projecting into the slots b, while their inner ends bearagainst the inner ends of the slots b.

The abutlnen ts H are preferably nuts located on threaded portions ofshafts I I, which are journaled in bearings rigidly attached to themortises, and are adapted to be rotated, and thus move the abutments Hin such manner as to tighten or loosen the springs and increase ordiminish the pressure thereof on the hinge, the abntments H being guidedby the opposite sides of the slots b, so that they will not rotate withthe shafts I. Said shafts are rotated preferably by shafts K K,journaled in bearings on the mortises D D', and extending to the outersurfaces of the jamb, and door-pinions L L on the shafts I Kan'dintermediate pins, M M, connecting the pinions L L. The shafts Kareprovided with slots in their outer ends, so that they can be rotatedby a screw driver. The springsl can be vadjusted by the means describedwhen the door is opened without disconnecting any of the parts.

N N represent horizontal friction-rollers journaled in the mortises DD', and adapted to support the plates E E', and O' O represent similarrollers journaled in the upper portions of the plates E E', and adaptedto bear upon the upper surfaces of the mortises.

P P Q Q represent vertical frictionrollers Y journaled in the mortises DD', and arranged to bear against theopposite sides of the plates E E'and link F. These rollers constitute lateral supports for the sides ofthe plates E E' at their outer ends and fnlcrums for the link F in itslateral movements, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2. The sides ofthe mortises D D' are removed lat the outer ends of the mortises to formlateral openings R, which permit the free lateral play of the link Fthrough the sides of the jamb and door, as shown in dotted lines. Whenthe door is opened in either direction the link F, plates E E', andsprings S S' permit the door to be oscillated and at the same time movedlaterally, so that it can assume the differentl posi-A 'Ico y 'tionsshown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, the'link v F bearing against therollers P Q when it is swung laterally, and drawing the plates E E'outwardly against the pressure of the springs S S'. The springstherefore always endeavor to draw the plates E E' into their mortises.This effort of the springs causes them to draw the door to a closedposition, unless the door is left momentarily in either of the positionsshown in dotted lines in Fig. 2. When the door is in said positions thesprings, instead of closing the door, hold it with some force, so thatit remains open until special effort is made to swing it partly towardits closed position, when the springs will draw it to place. The hingeis therefore adapted both to close the door and to hold it open. A

To insure the proper position of the door with relation to the jamb whenthe door returns to place after being opened, I provide the door with arounded projection, T, which is preferably a roller, and provide thejamb with a recess, T', adapted to receive the projection T. When thedoor swings to place the roller or projection 'l enters the recess andprevents the door from stopping short of or going beyond its properposition.

By arranging the rollers P P Q Q diagonally, as shown in Fig. 4,1 locateone roller of each pair nearer the proximate edges of the door and jamb,so that when the door is opened it cannot strike the corner ofthejamb,and will be separated therefrom, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4.

1. The combina-tion o'f vsp1-ings SS', a link, 35 F, pivotally connectedwith the same, and roll ers P P Q Q, substantially as, and for thepurpose described. Y

2. The combination of the casings or mortises D D', the friction-rollersN O, the vertical rollers orfulcrums P P Q Q, the plates E E', thesprings S S', and the link F, asset forth.

3. The casings or mortises D D', containing the sliding plates,springs,ai1d link, and provided at their outer ends with lateralopenings to permit the free lateral movement of the link, as set forth.Y

4. 'In combinationwith a door and its jamb or their equivalents,connected by a hinge f adapted to swing in both directions and give 5othe door a lateral movement, a rounded projection or roller, T, locatedon the edge of one ofthe parts connected by the hinge, a'nd arecess inthe edge of the other part, adapted to receive said projection,substantially as and 55` for the purpose specited.

In testimony whereof I have signed my 1 name to this specification inthe presence of two subscribin g witnesses.

PATR-IGK K. OLALLY.

Witnesses GEORGE W. PIERCE, (l. F. BROWN.

